The U.S. attorney's office in New Jersey said Flores and three Brooklyn men ventured to the Garden State on Aug. 12, 2009, with almost $100,000 in cash to buy nearly seven pounds of cocaine, which they intended to resell.

Flores, who had $500 in a box in his Nissan, initially claimed he had driven to Elizabeth to buy a motorcycle, authorities said. However, his story didn't pan out, said officials.

Authorities found $75,000 in a bag a co-defendant had removed from his own car at a gas station and another $22,500 inside the vehicle.

Another defendant's car contained an open hydraulic compartment, or "trap," behind the rear passenger seat. Authorities said drug traffickers often use such compartments to transport narcotics and cash.